Save textile workers

Illustrate how a gender perspective could have been brought into an important economic story.   

 

All the employees in the photograph used are of women, and it is a well known fact that women predominate in the textile sector. However, none of the statistics are disaggregated by gender, and not a single woman is interviewed. The story is told from the perspective of analysts rather than those most directly affected, the majority of whom are women. This is a classic example of “gender blind” reporting and helps to explain why women’s views and voices are so under represented in economic reporting. 

If there are textile companies in your country that are closing down, ask participants to find out why, who is affected and how. By interviewing women affected, what new perspectives are brought to the issue? How does gender-aware reporting enrich the quality of the story? Participants may also be asked to have a look at the graph on “who speaks on what” from the Gender and Media Baseline Study (see below) and to comment on the extent to which women’s views are heard on economic and labour issues.

 

 

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